NHL Power Rankings: Red Wings No. 2 but still getting no love from some neighbors to the north

The Associated PressPavel Datsyuk (13), Johan Franzen and the Red Wings remain No. 2 in the NHL Power Rankings despite winning their 21st straight home game Tuesday vs. Dallas

Hockey is supposed to be Canada's national sport. And many Canadians
like to think they know just a little bit more about hockey than everyone else,
especially their neighbors to the south.

So can anyone explain how TSN of Canada continues to rate
the Detroit Red Wings so low in its weekly NHL Power Rankings?

After all, the Red Wings are not only riding a 21-game home
winning streak -- that's the longest in NHL history for anyone who hasn't been
paying attention -- but they're also atop the NHL's overall standings with 80
points despite playing the last two weeks without No. 1 goaltender Jimmy
Howard.

Yet TSN had the Red Wings ninth in last week's NHL Power
Rankings before moving them up to fifth this week. So there are four teams
better than the Red Wings, who continue to lead the NHL without their No. 1
goaltender in the lineup?

Well, OK.

With that rant out of the way, the Red Wings check in at No.
2 --- just like last week --- in MLive.com's NHL Power Rankings.

Of the 10 sets of NHL Power Rankings we consulted, the Red
Wings are first in four of them, second in five and ... well, you know where
they rank with the TSN.

Here's how the Red Wings stack up in the various NHL Power
Rankings:

• ESPN.com: Second, same as last week. The skinny: "No Jimmy Howard? No problem. The Wings have
tied the NHL record with (21) straight home wins."

• TSN.ca: Fifth, up from ninth. The skinny: "Joey
MacDonald may not be able to maintain a (1.72) goals against average and (.930) save percentage over the long haul, but that's what he's managed in (six) games
with the Wings, easing the impact of Jimmy Howard's injury."

• The Hockey News: First, same as last week. The skinny: "Wings ... set a new league record for home wins in a row by beating Stars Tuesday, but
following game in Detroit (against tough Preds) won't be a cakewalk."

• CBS Boston: Second, up
from fourth. The skinny: "Should the current standing hold, the Red Wings are
going to have a lot of home-ice advantage in the playoffs. And if that's the
case, who's going to beat them? Even without goaltender Jimmy Howard, the Wings (set) an NHL record with (21) straight home wins."

• CBSSports.com: First, same
as last week. The skinny: "Whether they're
winning in shootouts or regulation, it doesn't matter, the Red Wings look
unbeatable at home and are in the middle of a stretch that has them playing in
the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arena often."

• FoxSports.com: Second, same as last week. The skinny: "Detroit
has won (21) in a row at home. Jimmy Howard is
on pace to return late this week from a broken finger."

• Buffalo News: First, up from fourth. The skinny: "Winter
Classic best played in a football venue." (Huh?)

• SI.com: First, same as last week. The skinny: "With a victory Tuesday night over the visiting
Dallas Stars, this team will (did) something no NHL team has done before: win 21
straight games at home. Pretty remarkable when you think about it in this age
of parity. What nobody seems to be able to answer is: how will this team be
different than the excellent one of the last two seasons that had a similar
record but nonetheless lost in the playoffs to San Jose? Almost everyone still believes
that GM Ken Holland will do something significant at the trade deadline (big,
physical D-man and/or another scorer) to address potential playoff shortcomings."

• NHL.com: Second, same as last week. The skinny: "Since Jimmy
Howard went down with a broken finger, the Red Wings are (4-1-1). Joey MacDonald
has a (.930) save percentage ... so does that make
him the reliable backup GM Ken Holland can count on?"

• Arizona Republic: Second, same as last week. The skinny: "After
losing to the Coyottes (Feb. 5), the Wings turned in three straight wins
including a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Sunday that was the team's 20th
straight home victory."